Question

1. Based on your observations. a. Which cell produces the highest cell potential? Explain b. Which cell produces the lowest cell potential? Explain 2. Did the reduced concentration of Cu2+ ions in the cells using the 0.5 M Cu(NO3)2 and 0.1 M Cu(NO3)2 solutions affect cell potentials? If there is an effect, please suggest an explanation. 3. What is the oxidizing agent in the Zn-Mg cell? 4. Compare the sum of the Cu-Zn and the Zn-Mg cell potentials with the Cu-Mg cell potential. What can you conclude? 5. What effect, if any, would varying the concentration of both the aqueous species have on the cell potentials? What about varying the size of the electrodes?

Answer 1

The zinc-copper voltaic cell produces the highest cell potential, while the cell that produces the lowest cell potential is not mentioned. The reduced concentration of Cu2+ ions in the cells using different solutions affects cell potentials. Varying the concentration of the aqueous species and the size of the electrodes would also impact cell potentials.

Step-by-step explanation:

The cell that produces the highest cell potential is the zinc-copper voltaic cell. In this cell, copper (II) ions are reduced to copper metal while zinc metal is oxidized. The reduction potential is a measure of the tendency of a given half-reaction to occur as a reduction in an electrochemical cell. In the zinc-copper cell, the half-cell with the greater reduction potential is the one in which reduction occurs, leading to a higher cell potential.

The cell that produces the lowest cell potential is not mentioned in the given information.

The reduced concentration of Cu2+ ions in the cells using the 0.5 M Cu(NO3)2 and 0.1 M Cu(NO3)2 solutions would affect cell potentials. As the concentration of the Cu2+ ions decreases, the driving force for reduction decreases, leading to a lower cell potential.

The oxidizing agent in the Zn-Mg cell is not mentioned in the given information.

The sum of the Cu-Zn and the Zn-Mg cell potentials can be compared to the Cu-Mg cell potential. If the sum of the potentials is greater than the Cu-Mg potential, then the Cu-Mg cell potential is lower. If the sum of the potentials is less than the Cu-Mg potential, then the Cu-Mg cell potential is higher. Conclusions about the relative potentials can be drawn based on this comparison.

Varying the concentration of both the aqueous species and varying the size of the electrodes would affect the cell potentials. Increasing the concentration of the aqueous species would increase the rate of the redox reaction, leading to a higher cell potential. Increasing the size of the electrodes would increase the surface area available for the redox reaction, also leading to a higher cell potential.